Watch: The I.D. R On Track

This week was the Volkswagen ID R’s first as a real life and to celebrate it got to stretch its legs at a track on France’s Cevennes mountain range.

The track is in Ales, driver Romain Dumas’ hometown and it’s where the driver trained for his previous Pikes Peak drives.

With an aero package based heavily on Porsche’s erstwhile Le Mans racer (the French connections keep coming), the 919, VW is making the best of its empire. Dumas should also be comfortable with the package since he raced the 919 to victory in 2016.

Pikes Peak is a particularly good place to show off an electric vehicle because the altitude (on top of requiring the massive aero elements) tends to slow down internal combustion cars near the top.

VW faces its own problems getting to the top, though, since electric vehicles require so many batteries to run quickly. If you saw the car’s horsepower figures earlier this week (680 hp, 480 lb-ft of torque) and weren’t quite blown away, that’s as a result of VW’s need to balance the power supply against the weight of the batteries.

Even with power that setup, it weighs in at more than 2,400 lbs, but VW had some tricks up its sleeve. Thanks to its regenerative braking system, it expects the ID R to generate roughly 20% of the energy it uses while going up the course.

Get ready to watch it go up the hill and try for the electric record in June.

The post Watch: The I.D. R On Track appeared first on VWVortex.

from VWVortex https://ift.tt/2r3ztW0
via IFTTT

Comments

Project SportWagen: Going Stage 2 with APR

When we last left you, the humble little SportWagen was fresh from the development process with our friends at AWE Tuning, sporting a new downpipe, exhaust and intake, allowing things to breathe a bit easier. The car sounded great, but there was no getting around the fact that our wagon was still quite, well, slow. While we realize that nothing we do to the Golf SportWagen at this point will make it a race car, we still felt compelled to do something . To put it bluntly, we had a fever, and the only cure was more power. Flash forward a few hours, and we found ourselves at Waterfest, staring down APR’s palatial spread and the numerous tuned vehicles surrounding it. Earlier in the year, APR had hinted to us that their 1.8 TSI files would be quite impressive, and based on what they were able to do with the 2.0 TSI found in the new GTI and our time in their Golf R, we knew it’d be worth the wait. So with this in mind, we lined our G...

Volkswagen’s Gone to California with Grand California Camper

Volkswagen is bringing the California XXL concept to production. It will debut at the Dusseldorf Caravan Salon as the Grand California. It’s set to be based on the medium wheelbase Crafter van. That’s the company’s full-size commercial van, larger than the T6 Transporter based California. The high roof means room for adults to stand up, though it won’t get the concept’s extended length. The Grand California offers a full wet bathroom. It’s not exactly spacious, though, measuring in at around 31.5 x 33-inches. A toilet, shower, and sink are all crammed into that space, but at least there are motion sensor lights to stop you from reaching for a switch. Standard, the Grand California it comes with berths for two adults. Space for two children is optional, but they’ll be stuck in a berth amove the driver’s area. The kitchen offers a sink, stove, and two fridges. The front seats swivel to add seating space when the RV is parked. It’s also got solar panels, an integrated satellite dish,...

Novitec, Unsatisfied with Aventador SV, Adds More Veloce

The Lamborghini Aventador SV is no slouch, but if you’re into Lamborghinis, chances are you’re into big numbers. Whether it’s in the bank or under the hood, a big number could, and perhaps should, always be bigger, which is where Novitec steps in. Novitec has been modifying Italian cars for years, and their Torado line is dedicated to making ridiculous Lamborghinis even more ridiculous. Their latest effort takes the Aventador SV and remaps the engine to give it 786hp and 544 lb-ft of toque. They’ve also fitted the car with a new exhaust system that cuts 50 lbs off the car. Other mods include a carbon fiber aero package, spoiler, front splitter and air intake, all of which helps it shed even more weight. The Aventador also sits on 21 (back) and 20 (front) inch Vossen wheels. So if you think that a regular Aventador is just a little too pedestrian, give Novitec a call and they’ll hook you up. The post Novitec, Unsatisfied with Aventador SV, Adds More Veloce appeared first on VWVor...

Vorderman Volkswagen

Search This Blog